WOLFES MAMMOGRAPHIC PATTERNS IN WOMEN WITH GROSS CYSTIC-DISEASE OF THE BREAST

The epidemiologic determinants of the mammographic pattern were studie d in 710 patients with aspirated gross (>1 ml) cysts of the breast. Th e prevalence of the mammograms classified as P2-DY, that are considere d to be associated with an increased breast cancer risk, was 636/710 o r 89.6%. No relationship between mammographic patterns and characteris tics of breast cyst fluid such as K+/Na+ ratio, apocrine changes and d ehydroepiandrosterone sulfate concentration was observed. A significan t decrease in the proportion of these patterns with increasing age (p = 0.006), Quetelet Index (p < 0.001), parity (p = 0.001), and in postm enopausal women (p = 0.026) was found. Conversely, P2-DY patterns were significantly associated with a later age at menarche (p = 0.023) and alcohol consumption (p = 0.001). In multivariate analysis, an indepen dent association with age was not observed whereas the associations wi th age at menarche, parity, and relative weight were confirmed. In con clusion, the epidemiologic determinants of mammographic patterns are t he same in Gross Cystic Disease patients as in unaffected women, and t he lack of correlation between mammographic pattern and cyst type sugg ests that the latter may represent an independent predictor of breast cancer risk.